7 Online Donation Page Mistakes to Avoid

Has it been a while since you've updated your organization's online donation page? It's time to get down to business and whip your donation form into shape before the year-end stream of donations begins. Get better online fundraising results by avoiding these donation page mistakes:

1. Too much text.

Once your donor has landed on your donation page, don't confuse, overwhelm, or bore them with paragraphs of text. One or two lines of short, compelling copy are plenty. Your goal is to reinforce your call to action and get donors to your donation form as quickly as possible.

2. Too many options.

Just like too much text, too many options on your online donation page can make donors less likely to complete your form. Get rid of unnecessary fields and remove extraneous navigation that will take donors away from your page.

3. Inconsistent branding.

When a donor goes to your donation form from your email appeal or website, do they feel like they have been transported to a different planet? A donation page that looks like your other campaign materials and your nonprofit's website makes your donation experience familiar and seamless.

4. Outdated information.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you have outdated information on your nonprofit donation page, you're sending a not-so-subtle signal to donors that you may not be the best steward of their gift. Make sure you're not still touting a matching grant that has expired, a program that has ended, or last year's fundraising goal.

5. Lack of testing.

Two types of online donation page testing will help you get better results this year. Usability testing will help you uncover any issues that may derail a donor. A/B testing can help you decide which images, calls to action, and suggested donation amounts perform best.

6. No suggested giving amounts.

Make it easy for your donors by offering suggested giving amounts that take the guesswork out of how much to give. Use your average gift as a starting point, and then offer one giving amount that's slightly lower and two or three higher amounts. Illustrate what each gift level could provide with impact labels to help donors visualize the result of their donation.

7. No recurring gift options.

If you're not offering supporters a way to give a recurring gift, you're missing out on donations. Recurring gifts help donors fit giving into their budgets and allow you to collect more over time. If donors feel like they can't give enough to make a difference, they may not give at all. Frame your recurring gift options in a way that lets donors know how their regular support will help.